Academy of Social Sciences: increase of mass revolts and crime in China

The annual report entitled "Society of China: Analysis and Forecasting 2010", presented yesterday, says that riots and other disturbances are increasing, they are caused by long-standing deep-rooted problems and involve people from all walks of life.

The authors state that in recent decades, the resentment of the population has increased because of growing differences between rich and poor, and for abuses of power by the representatives of government. Li Pielin, director of the Institute of Sociology, who presented the report states that "during the economic boom in China, many problems remained unsolved such as laws on relocation [and dispossessions - ed], the reforms and the use of industrial land. This has deepened the discontent of the population".

The report cites six examples of popular revolts, from the taxi strike in Chongqing and elsewhere, to those in central China, due to the suspicious deaths, presented by the police as a suicide (see the 22/06/2009 " Clashes between police and people who can’t take it any more become daily occurrence).

The report does not include the revolts of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, in July last year, with 200 deaths and thousands of arrests.

The report also acknowledges that the political and economic policies of the country leave many people without the benefits derived from economic development and points out the growing gap in living standards between urban and rural residents, an unbridled industrial development that has occurred at the expense of the rural population and pollution of the environment.

According to official figures there is also an increase in crime: from January to October this year there were over 4 million cases, an increase of 15% over last year.

 The report also has positive news, such as predictions that the end of 2010 GDP per capita will increase by up to 4 U.S. dollars, and that unemployment (official statistics) will remain steady at 4%.

But the gulf between rich and poor will increase: the income of urban residents will increase by 10%, those of the poor rural people only 6%.

According to the ministry for security in the country there are tens of thousands of cases of social unrest each year. These revolts, often sedated with arrests and armed intervention of the police, are - according to the leaders of the party a "threat to the survival of the Chinese Communist Party."